Mechanics' Institute Chess Room Newsletter

by John Donaldson

He is the man who regrets leaving chess. He misses the attention he got in chess, somehow he wants to be there. Maybe he should play again.

—World Champion Viswanathan Anand, responding to criticisms of his play by Garry Kasparov.

1) Mechanics’ Institute Chess Club NewsThe 68-player Spring Tuesday Night Marathon has seen plenty of upsets the first five rounds and no one is running away with the event. Seven players are tied for first at 4-1: FM Andy Lee, NMs Peter Zavadsky and Russell Wong, Experts Michael Lin, Steven Gaffagan and Farid Watson plus Brendan Lacounte (1772!) who has beaten three players in the last three rounds who were on average rated 250 points higher than he. Watson is also having an outstanding event with draws against Wong and Lee, and a round 5 win over 2182-rated Jorge Lopez.

One of the giants of Canadian chess, Divinsky was a man of considerable and varied accomplishments as an author, journalist, player, politician and promoter of the royal game. He played twice for the Canadian national team (Amsterdam 1954 and Havana 1966), but represented his nation in many more Olympiads as its FIDE Delegate. A man of principle, who didn’t mind speaking his mind in the devil’s den of FIDE politics, his stentorian voice could be heard at many FIDE Congresses.

Divinsky will likely be best remembered by the chess world for his literary output, which includedAround the Chess World in 80 Years, Vols 1 and 2 - 1961 and 1965 BCM QuarterliesThe Batsford Encyclopedia of Chess - 1990Life Maps of the Great Chess Masters -1994Warriors of the Mind: A Quest for the Supreme Genius of the Chess Board (with Raymond Keene) 1989, 2002

He edited the column “Chess Charivari” from October 31, 1953 to June 19, 1954 in the Winnipeg Tribune. His column of February 20, 1954, reprinted in the Mechanics’ Chess Club Newsletter #374, included a nice victory over Sammy Reshevsky in a simul in Winnipeg.

Divinsky served for 15 years, from 1959-1974, as editor of the magazine Canadian Chess Chat. This was the only Canadian magazine for much of this time, and played an invaluable role in promoting chess in Canada.

A man with a strong interest in chess history, Divinsky was fascinated by the German chess master, historian and diplomat Tassilo von Heydebrand und der Lasa. His article “The Mighty Baron”, which appeared in the June 1985 issue of the British Chess Magazine (pp. 226-232), was one of the first serious looks at Lasa’s career and was well-received, prompting Divinsky to dig deeper. The past two decades he spent a great deal of time delving into all aspects of the Baron’s life, in what promised be his magnum opus.

One example of the extent of his research is that, while Mega DataBase 2012 has 279 of Lasa’s games, Divinsky had dug up close to 500. This included the game against Heinemann played at the Mechanics’ Institute in late 1887/early 1888 which appeared in Mechanics’ Chess Club Newsletter #118.

Divinsky received a setback when his collaborator Peter Stockhausen dropped out of the Lasa project, but he continued on, and one can only hope that his work will be published one day.

Divinsky grew up in Winnipeg at the same time as the Yanofsky brothers, Abe and Harry, in what was the golden age for Manitoba chess. He won the Championship of this province in both 1946 and 1952, and finished runner-up in 1945. While he never devoted himself fully to tournament play, Divinsky did play in several Canadian championships, finishing tying for 3rd-4th in 1945.

A man of many interests, Divinsky was a master at bridge as well as chess. He was very active in politics in the 1970s and 1980s, serving on the Vancouver School Board from 1974-80, and as an alderman of Vancouver’s city council from 1981-82.

Divinsky earned a PhD from the University of Chicago in Mathematics in 1950, and served as a mathematics professor at the University of British Columbia, where he spent the entirety of his professional career. Among his students were future Grandmasters Duncan Suttles and Peter Biyiasas.

He is survived by his wife Marilyn Goldstone, and daughters Judy Kornfeld and Pamela Divinsky.

Those wishing to learn more about this remarkable man may wish to consult International Master Anthony Saidy’s tribute entitled “Chess Godfather of the North”, which appeared in Chess Life in December 2010 (pp. 17-19).

SAINT LOUIS, June 18, 2012 - The Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis (CCSCSL) is partnering with the Kasparov Chess Foundation (KCF) on a five-year grant program to help develop several American chess prodigies from across the United States. The program, called Young Stars - Team USA, will begin with a kick-off training program in Saint Louis at the CCSCSL from June 18-20. Program participants range in age from nine to 15 years old.

The program’s players include • Awonder Liang, age 9, from Madison, WI - Won a gold medal in the under-8 section of the 2011 World Youth Chess Championship in Brazil. • Ruifeng Li, age 9, from Plano, TX - Won the 2011 Arkansas State Championships and a silver medal in the under-10 section of the 2011 World Youth Championships. • Jeffrey Xiong, age 11, from Coppell, TX - Recently, Xiong received a four-year scholarship to the University of Texas at Dallas. • Sam Sevian, age 11, from Santa Clara, CA - Is currently the youngest-ever American chess master. • Kevin Cao, age 15, from Saint Louis - Named to the 2010 All-American Team at the age of 12, participated in the Kings vs. Queens tournament in Saint Louis. • Kayden Troff, age 14, from West Jordan, UT - Troff participated in the Junior Championships at the CCSCSL in 2011. • Sarah Chiang, age 15, from Southlake, TX - Tied for third place at the World Youth Championship in the girls U-14 division in 2011.

“This inaugural group features some of the top young chess players in the country,” said CCSCSL Executive Director Tony Rich. “By fostering their talent now, we’re hoping to position the United States as a future chess super power.”

World chess champion and KCF Chairman Garry Kasparov will personally coach the young players in the training program, which will be held at the CCSCSL every summer, and in New York City each winter. The CCSCSL and KCF have established a five-year educational program for extraordinarily talented children to maximize their potential to achieve the highest level in chess and become members of the U.S. Olympiad Teams. The grant also provides individual coaching for each participant.

“The joint effort of the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis and the KCF provides these promising players a tremendous advantage,” said Michael Khodarkovsky, president of the KCF. “Their time spent in these training sessions will help prepare them for the demands of a career in chess—and hopefully the demands of winning championship tournaments as well.”